Liverpool’s Signing Of Luis Diaz Is Linked To Mohamed Salah’s Future At The Club

Over the last five years or so there has been no frontline in European soccer as formidable as Liverpool’s. Indeed, the trio of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have given opposition defences all sorts of problems with the Reds winning major honours on the back of their brilliance.

However, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are approaching a juncture. Firmino is already 30 with Mane set to reach the same age in April. Then there’s Salah. The Egyptian is arguably the best player on the planet right now, but this summer will see him enter the final year of his Liverpool contract with recent reports stating an agreement on an extension is still a long way off.

Liverpool aren’t waiting around for their front three to fall apart, though. The Anfield club are instead future-proofing their attack, bringing in players who will one day succeed Firmino, Mane and Salah if all goes to plan. This explains why Liverpool spent £37.5m to sign Luis Diaz from Porto in the January transfer window.

Diaz was directly involved in 18 goals (14 goals and four assists) in there Portuguese Primeira Liga for Porto before making the switch to Merseyside. The Colombian is an exceptional ball-carrier and should be a good fit for Klopp’s system. What’s more, Diaz has only just turned 25 and is entering the peak years of his career.

The signing of Diogo Jota from Wolves was made with the same logic. The Portuguese international was an instant success at Anfield and has already proven himself capable of operating in a number of different positions in a number of different ways across the Liverpool frontline. In many ways, Jota epitomises the adaptability of Klopp’s approach.

“We need options and we need help,” Klopp recently explained when asked to elaborate on why Liverpool are targeting attackers when they are already so strong there. “All development includes fresh blood as well and that’s what we did with Diogo [Jota] when he came here and now when we signed Luis it is exactly the same.

“Players might have plans for their future but a club has to be ready for pretty much all scenarios and that’s what we do between playing games all the time. This club is too big to rely on single persons, whether that’s me or a player, and has to be ready for all different scenarios. We feel in a good place at this moment.”

Shrewd recruitment has played a key role in Liverpool’s development under Klopp and they will have some difficult decisions to make in the near future. Salah might well be the most talented player to have ever worn the club’s shirt, but it might make more sense to move him on and replenish the squad than keep him into his 30s on gigantic wages. 

Diaz and Jota give Liverpool a level of protection, though. The departure of Salah or even Mane won’t be the catastrophe it might have been had the Reds ignored the scenario they are facing. Liverpool are spending money on attackers to make sure they stay at the top of the sport no matter what the future brings.